Guided-Growth: Developing Strong Connections for Success

The Sukow family was burning for learning this spring break. We completed the McHenry County Library Lovers Expeditions by visiting 13 libraries across McHenry County and exploring the land of Lincoln. We road-tripped with the kids to Springfield, stopping at Illinois State along the way, and added three more libraries to our list. Watching the kids light up as they learned more about Lincoln and have the opportunity to sit on an old courthouse bench reminded me how joyful learning can be - especially when we learn together. Their curiosity and questioning sparked great conversations, and we are already planning our next adventure. 

Watching them explore the world reminded me how powerful our shared learning experiences are. Learning can be fun, memorable, and impactful when collaborating and sharing ideas. 

As an instructional coach, I am blessed with the opportunity to explore and witness all different curricular activities in classrooms around the building. As Jordan enthusiastically asked questions about Lincoln’s dog Fido, I have seen teachers spark student curiosity for math and science. I have witnessed real-world connections in business classes and art classes.

 As teachers, we are all coaches, in a way, guiding our students toward academic success. To help foster this success, we must continually grow through inquiry and professional development. Just like a road trip, professional development involves a unique approach to learning and growth tailored to each individual (or Sukow family’s in our case) needs.

So what does effective instructional coaching look like? How do we all adopt the role of coachee and coach to improve our craft? And what are the benefits? 

At its core, instructional coaching is all about developing strong connections between coaches and their coachees. Through ongoing feedback and collaboration, instructional coaches work with colleagues to help them grow and develop their craft. This process of guided growth is based on the principles of trust, mutual respect, and a shared commitment to learning and improvement.

Instructional coaching helps teachers and their students achieve success. 

An instructional coach is personalized and can lead to unexpected and exciting detours. By providing individualized support, coaches can help teachers by sharing new instructional strategies, promoting the latest tech tool, or discussing the teacher's ideas. Recently, I have had many conversations about differentiating instruction. Many students still suffer from pandemic learning and gaps in executive functioning skills. Problem-solving together, we can generate ideas to generate lessons more effective and engaging. 

Coaching involves fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning. 

A collaborative approach to learning helps teachers build strong relationships with their colleagues and create a supportive learning community. Instructional coaching experiences can be informal or formal, depending on the needs of the teachers. Professional development driven by teachers' needs and building/district goals should be provided and amplify the voices of quality teachers. Frequent communication and the exchange of ideas help to make coaching more effective as well. 

Like taking children on a road trip, instructional coaching may come with numerous surprises and discoveries. Learning is a continuous process that involves commitment and curiosity. Strong relationships and mutual respect foster those relationships and the connections that lead to student success. 

I can’t wait for the next opportunity to grow with colleagues post-spring break.

Where SEL Meets Academic Learning

Nothing says happy spring break like a blanket of snow covering the yard. Classic Chicago weather. Still, the snow is beautiful and peaceful looking. As the school year starts to wind down, I am reminded to appreciate the time we are given and the students who will soon be crossing the football field at graduation. Time is our most precious commodity, and it's fleeting like the snow that will soon be melted. What my students will remember from their high school years are the relationships they built along the way. We are collectively rebuilding from COVID and the impact of shifting learning environments. Helping students develop skills to build positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and manage their emotions is essential to the educational experience and significantly impacts academic learning.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) must be a regular part of our teaching practices as it helps improve academic achievement, prepare students for post-secondary endeavors, and increase student resilience. According to CASEL, SEL helps students acquire knowledge, develop healthy identities, achieve goals, and build relationships. The CASEL framework is an evidence-based guideline that helps students cultivate skills and thrive academically and personally.

On the last day before spring break, I tore up the lesson plan and had students complete an impromptu speaking challenge. They were broken into two groups and took turns going head-to-head against a peer as they created one-minute speeches with only two minutes of preparation time. Before they spoke, their teammates gave them ideas for their speeches. With laughter and peer encouragement, my students spoke confidently and had fun applying skills we have worked on all semester in a low-stakes, informal setting. This experience reminded me of the importance of building SEL skills in students. Skill acquisition does not occur overnight.

Getting students to this point takes regular practice and cooperative learning practices, communication skills, and self-awareness. How do we create spaces where students feel safe and confident to showcase their learning? How do we infuse SEL into learning?

Set clear expectations and establish learning goals.

The best way to support student learning is to clearly define the goals and the purpose of the learning activities in the classroom. I start every day with learning targets, and most recently, I have worked to make sure the language I use with students is student-friendly. These targets are not just goals taken from state standards but practical goals phrased to help students understand the why. When students see the why behind a learning activity, it becomes more relevant to the classroom and their lives beyond the classroom.

For example, yesterday's goal was: I can write and deliver an impromptu speech, practicing my ability to deliver a clear message to an audience in a professional setting. Students will think on their feet in professional settings often, and having this skill will make those communicative situations more effective and easier to produce.

Provide students with opportunities to collaborate.

Collaboration is one of the most sought-after skills by employers. It is also a skill that we all use with family and friends. Our society relies on the ability to work together. Giving students opportunities to work with diverse groups of people reflects real-world experiences. Group projects and activities that require collaboration also teach students to develop empathy and an understanding of others. Collaboration can be informal and short, and this skill can be formalized over an extended period. Frequent and diverse collaboration opportunities can encourage students to be ready to participate in society in many situations and foster stronger relationships.

Encourage and model active listening and effective communication.

Along with collaboration, SEL-infused learning helps students to develop listening skills. Often, students think they are good listeners because most can hear. Hearing and listening are vastly different skills. We all have internal barriers to listening in various settings, whether from subconscious biases or minor distractions like phone notifications or the desire to speak. In my speech class, I model listening and provide formal opportunities to practice, which involve putting down the electronics and communicating with others. These small practices at the beginning of class or even in the middle of a lesson give students sentence starters to have authentic conversations and apply these skills in and out of the classroom.

Create a positive classroom culture and foster a sense of community.

Frequent collaboration and the use of active listening both lead to a positive learning environment. Students know that they will be seen and heard in the classroom. What I love about teaching speech is that students have practiced building and maintaining positive relationships. They engage in self-disclosure and see the value in others - even those who may not be friends with them outside of the classroom. I love watching the teams of students cheer each other on and help the speakers generate ideas. The classroom is a safe space. Even though not everyone could produce a perfect impromptu speech, every student participated without hesitation. They knew they were safe to make mistakes, embrace failure, and learn from the experience. I hope they take these skills and use them to make every environment they find themselves in more positive places to be.

Offer students opportunities to reflect on their learning and emotions.

A good classroom environment not only promotes collaboration and community; it also encourages self-reflection. Students should be asked to monitor their learning and growth. This skill needs to be intentionally developed. Whether at the end of a unit, after a summative, or at the end of a grading period, purposeful reflection can help students identify their strengths and areas for growth. I use an SEL survey with students regularly to encourage them to evaluate their student skills, share their strengths with me, and also give me feedback on how I can best support them. This dialogue fosters trust and strong relationships. It also encourages students to take ownership of their learning.

We have the opportunity to create positive and supportive learning environments for students, but they must be intentionally integrated. SEL is not simply asking students how they are feeling or saying hello at the beginning of class, although those are places to start. Like the beautiful snow covering the ground this spring break, SEL strategies should be infused into all we do. As we continue to navigate the challenges of the post-COVID world, SEL will become increasingly important for supporting students' mental health and well-being. Let's prioritize SEL in our classrooms and help students develop the skills they need to succeed in all aspects of life.

Works Cited

CASEL. “Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL).” CASEL: Advancing Social and Emotional Learning, CASE:, 2023, https://casel.org/. Accessed 25 March 2023.

There's No Place Like... The Journey

Newton's first law of motion state that an object in motion stays in motion. I argue that that should be the law of efficiency instead of motion. Keep moving until the task is done. As we near spring break, efficiency and focus start to wane. My students are holding on as we travel down that golden brick road toward the magical place known as spring break. In my early years of teaching, I often saw the world in black and white. We were on target to accomplish all the goals I so meticulously crafted at the beginning of the school year, or we were wasting time, and an impending twister would swoop us and take us completely off course. We'd never reach our destination if we strayed off the path for a moment, right? *Cue dramatic special effects.*

While a decade or so of experience and three children later has taught me that efficiency and effective teaching is so nuanced. An array of strategies and approaches must be taken to see the full-color spectrum and the magic of learning. Moments of being sidetracked to discover a new idea or take a different path lead to incredible results far greater than checking an item off the list. Learning is about the journey - not the destination. Just as Dorothy discovers in The Wizard of Oz, what we learn along the way and who we learn it with has a far greater impact than reaching a mythical emerald city (or perfectly achieving goals). What we as educators can help our students realize is that they have the power within themselves to achieve greatness, but they have to believe it, too.

Creating an effective student learning experience is like the characters Dorothy meets in Frank Baum's classic story. Truly gaining knowledge takes brains, heart, courage, and a touch of shenanigans along the way.

First and foremost, cultivating the best learning experiences for students takes brains.

Okay, I am the first to self-deprecate and poke fun at myself for needing to have the "perfect" lesson plans three months ahead of schedule. I am a person who needs a plan. Sidenote: Yes, I'm even the person who schedules "fun" with my family, but seriously… anyone who knows Team Sukow knows we are constantly laughing. Scheduled fun is more exciting than it sounds!

Like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, we would only know which direction to go with careful thought into the overall curriculum. Having an intended path helps guide the experience. A clear path gives us something to strive for and work toward and helps students recognize the bigger picture. Learning targets feel tedious to craft but are essential in planning a course's day-to-day and overall scope and sequence. The best-laid plans, however, include contingencies, options, and flexibility. The Scarecrow constantly loses his stuffing, but he's ready to put himself back together at any time.

As we create the overall framework and direction of a lesson, we need to remember that relationships come first.

When Dorothy and the Scarecrow walk along, they immediately bond and learn to rely on each other as they encounter surprises on the yellow brick road. When meeting the Tin Man, our protagonists immediately act to help their new friend. They demonstrate heart and show there is always time to build relationships, even when an end goal is set. When the Tin Man first is reanimated, however, he is rusty and has a harsh perspective of the world in which he has been frozen.

As teachers, we all have our moments of frustration. So do our students. SEL is such a critical part of the learning process. From learning executive functioning skills (or learning to walk again as the Tin Man literally) to being vulnerable and sharing our life experiences as we learn, our emotions are the invests that help our students to be not only ready to learn but also ready to venture out of the academic forest into the emerald beyond known as the real world.

Preparing students for the real world also takes great courage, as our world and what our students will face constantly evolves.

Change is the only constant in life. In a world with ever-evolving technology still reeling from post-pandemic effects, we must bravely face the obstacles we are still dodging as educators. Students still have gaps in skills or are out of practice from specific expectations they once had. Families moved, faced hardships, and countless political and social issues came to light that may have been overlooked before. The weight of our world is still heavy, but we can face our challenges. We can accomplish much despite our fears, just as the Lion realized.

The courage to have difficult conversations does not occur in a vacuum, though. The Lion had friends who helped him reflect and see the bigger picture. They journeyed with him on his quest. Again, learning is not black and white. Academic skills are more than memorizing facts or checking off an SEL goal. These skills work together to get to the end of the journey.

Just as for Dorothy, who was able to defeat the Wicked Witch and leave Oz, we too can reach our goals with students, but it is essential to remember that it's not about getting to the end of the story. Authentic learning is about bravely taking those bends in the road, finding joy in both the joyful and challenging times, and working together to create the best learning environment - a home away from home.

Let the Wild Rumpus Start: Lessons from a Wild School Year and a Little Boy Named Jordan

A teacher's life is measured in bells, grading periods, and seasons. As a speech coach, my professional life is defined by my in-season and not in-season paces. My 204-day season ended. Cue the feeling of lightness and the creative energy flowing back into typing fingers. I've recently entered my first "free" weeks of the 2022-2023 school year. Speech team starts the first full week of August and ends the third Sunday of February. No longer having to rush between picking up my three littles from the bus while coaching 30ish of the best wild things around, I took a deep breath and felt a new sense of calm before being jolted back into the roaring world of Cystic Fibrosis.

Jordan started feeling fatigued and had no appetite at the end of February. These past two weeks have kicked me into high alert. CF impacts all organs and can impair the digestive system. Without pancreatic enzyme supplements - Creon - Jordan cannot absorb his food and, more importantly, does not have the fuel to function properly. My heart has been heavy worrying about his health and watching for signs that the bowel obstruction needs more intense medical intervention. As a teacher and instructional coach, I navigate rocky waters with joy and a more focused approach. I could be called home at any moment, so I am compelled to have all of my organizational systems in place in case I need to be absent.

Parenting a child with health concerns has helped me to pause and reflect on how I can better empathize with my students and colleagues, especially as we approach spring break. Transitioning out of the winter months into spring is a difficult time for all. From season shifting and staffing changes to restless students - we are all navigating and fighting our own battles. I realize that whatever beasts we face, we have the power to guide the narrative. No matter how dark the jungle gets, we can find the positives and shine a light on the lessons our students and colleagues must face. Inspired by my precocious son, who is braver than anyone I've ever met, I reread Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are. We all have a little curiosity in us, and our perspectives can sometimes make our challenges feel insurmountable. But again, we can shift the story to gain powerful insights.

When change happens, we should approach it with curiosity.

Just like Max in the book, curiosity can lead to adventure. So often, when changes occur in the school system or even in the curriculum, we become consumed by negativity or resistance, but changes can bring new insights and perspectives. They can shift the landscape of what we learn or how we might learn it. Working with high school students, I have noticed more senioritis as we approached a challenging, research-based unit. The skills they learn in this unit involve:

• Critically analyzing sources.
• Finding and applying information.
• Engaging audiences - all skills that will help them pursue higher education and be more active citizens in the world.

Instead of dismissing their complaints about "how much work they had" for this particular unit, I worked with them to shift their outlook. Getting excited or asking them to seek out topics that sparked their curiosity made an arduous task more approachable and ultimately left them saying, "Huh, that was actually fun."

In addition to sparking curiosity about change, we need to create spaces where people want to belong.

Even in the most ideal places, morale is still low. Navigating a post-COVID world has brought shifts in student behavior, new social-emotional needs of both students and staff, and gaps in knowledge/executive functioning skills. To produce the best environments for kids, we need to ensure staff feels supported and safe to fail. Teachers must feel appreciated and seen, especially as we redefine "normal." Even though there are fewer mitigation procedures to deal with and COVID is not impacting us daily, the effects of pandemic learning and the fatigue that was brought on because of it will be felt for years to come. When teachers feel valued and are given space to cope with their challenges - whatever they may be - they can create the best learning experiences and opportunities for students.

I have cultivated a supportive work culture by creating targeted professional development. This professional development revolves around topics that work in any classroom. More importantly, it is led by outstanding teachers across the building. Giving teachers a voice, celebrating their excellence, and helping them believe in their excellent work has helped spark conversation and encourage people to get involved. My fantastic colleague Cori and I have also started a podcast to amplify the voices of great teachers across our district. These small acts of lifting teacher-leaders boost morale, celebrate excellence, and unite teachers on the most critical cause in education - elevating our students.

We can let the wild rumpus start when we feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging.

No matter what comes our way - whether it be a global pandemic, a shift in learning management systems, ransomware, or challenging students - we can embrace change when we feel like we belong. Teachers need to be supported, they need to be recognized, and they need to be allowed to be authentic. Everyone comes to the table with unique strengths, talents, and passions. When school leaders can see the best quality in each person and use those qualities to create a dynamic team, we all benefit. Education is a journey and not a destination. Even if imminent threats are not filling our newsfeeds or causing us to quarantine, the challenges will still arise. The path may become overgrown and dark at times - even when we least expect it- but our teachers can navigate any adventure when we have support.

These systems involve morale committees, frequent and clear communication, and transparency. They involve weekly emails to bullet point and highlight key changes or needs and necessitate an open-door policy. As a coach, it means that when someone says, "Do you have a second..." I am available and ready to support them. If I cannot at that moment, I set a specific time and make myself available if something is absolutely needed. It also means that I anticipate the bumps and turns in the narrative before they occur so that teachers feel safe, valued, and ready to be their best selves for their students. I know I must be ready to take action and lead in any wild condition.

I need to find time to be still and reflect. My son is early to rise and loves being silly in the morning. Holding a wiggly Jordan whose body is trying to regulate itself has forced me to laugh. Sometimes, life just stinks (literally). More challenges are inevitable. I wonder if it will involve students, staff, computers crashing, or bowel obstructions that force us to journey to Lutheran General. Whatever the challenge is, I will find a way to let my imagination run wild, have hope, and roll with whatever adventure comes next.

 

Game On: Leveling Up The LMS

My children have been playing old-school N64 recently. Our upstairs office has a small TV my son uses to play video games while doing his CF lung treatments. The only purpose of this TV (which also has an attached VHS player) is to play Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers, or the occasional multiplayer round of Golden Eye. He looks forward to his treatments and tries to recruit the whole family to join in on the "fun" of treatment time. Playing games with my children brings great nostalgia and joy to what could be a dreaded and mundane task. 

As I've relearned these games' controller functions and tricks, I've also started thinking about their design. I have been impressed with the intuitive nature of these games and the storytelling embedded with levels. The linear nature of these games is in stark contrast to more modern video games, with open worlds and quests to complete before entering the boss level (not unlike Zelda: Ocarina of Time - truly, a game ahead of its time). What amazes me about the design of these now-classic video games is how well my children receive them. Their graphics are outdated, and perhaps some of the skills needed to succeed in these realms are less complex than today's games. Mario Kart isn't terribly difficult to play, but the variables infused into the races keep my children on their toes. 

As I shoot my red shells at Wario, I find myself thinking about how we might provide our students with more intuitive learning management systems that genuinely world-build our curriculum for our students in an engaging manner. When designing our courses for students, it is essential to consider how we might draw our students into our content through the design of our LMS. As we set out to world-build our course, what do we need to consider:

Our LMS pages should be intuitive. 

What'd we do on Friday? This common question plagues our Mondays. When students return to school, they often claim to forget the previous day, and when students are absent, they might as well be Nintendo cartridges needing to be blown on and restarted. 

I use a weekly model in which students can find the date and access the agenda for the week. I break down the learning in my classroom into smaller chunks, which keeps students focused and allows them to look ahead (but not too far ahead that they feel overwhelmed). I began using this organization system during the pandemic and have stayed with it because it creates habits in students. The consistency is easy to follow and gives a rhythm to the course. All work for each week is due on Saturday at 11:59 PM (besides speeches and work that is presented in class). The consistent dates help students to plan ahead, self-pace to an extent, and understand what to access and when. 

Our LMSs should be aesthetically pleasing. 

When I started with Canvas, I was certainly overwhelmed by the possibilities. I needed structure. I needed to create a pathway for my students that allowed them to progress from week to week. Then I realized that my students wanted to click. The act of clicking on a website leads them to learning experiences. If I wanted them to click on important information, it had to be easy to find and access. 

I then fell in love with Canva. This platform made designing buttons and banners easy. Small touches to enhance my homepage, assignments, and resources have gone a long way to making my Canvas course lively and inviting. These buttons are an extension of my personality and teaching style, subtly communicating a message to my students and drawing them in even further. 

We need to tell a story with our LMSs. 

Whether our courses use technology a little or nearly every day, we must ensure that our course designs tell a story. What we craft should communicate clear messages about what is important, what needs to be done, and, most importantly, how students might continue to grow as learners. Our LMSs communicate what we are doing and where we are going and should also showcase what we value. Through careful design and using videos, audio, mindmaps, and other visuals, we can help our students access learning material. We can also challenge them to see the value and recognize how the information they are learning today can level up their experiences tomorrow. 

An LMS is an opportunity to draw our students into our world. These platforms can help students to navigate course content and also learn to tell their own stories. Through the careful design of an LMS, they can better understand who they are as students, what they know, and what they still need to learn. We must help them develop those metacognitive skills, and our course design can do just that. 

I have loved watching my own children take on the world of N64. Watching them and observing my students interacting with screens and platforms, I realize that strong design motivates them to beat the computer-automated Bowser across train tracks and also take on the learning experience. Let's all level up so our students can see just how fun it is to cross the finish line of learning. 

Station Creation: What to Consider When Planning A Station Rotation Lesson

The jingle bells jangled, the snow came and melted, and just like that, the holidays are over. This year, the dates on which Christmas and New Year's fell caused many schools to have different breaks. Many of my friends and family members are teachers in multiple districts. Unfortunately, everyone has had a different break, which has made the coordinating celebrations a little more hectic than usual.  

Once the calendar turns to January 1st, I am ready to pack up the Christmas decor and prepare for a new semester at school. Presents that lingered under the tree must find their place. Organizing gifts and ensuring every new household item has a place is a little stressful. I am innately a minimalist, but with three imaginative and artistic small children, I know I must make concessions and embrace the creative clutter. 

 

In my classroom, I prefer a minimalist setting that allows for flexible movement and organized chaos. I enjoy the busyness of working with people and the learning process, which is why I started using station rotation lessons.

 

Beginning to plan for and implement station rotation in a classroom is overwhelming at the high school level. Station rotation is not linear and does not necessarily have a traditional pattern, which might look like: 1. Class bell-ringer, 2. Mini-lesson, 3. Practice/application and exit slip. The when/how of learning looks different and relies on students driving their instruction. How do we ensure students have the knowledge needed to practice and apply what they've learned? How do we measure mastery in a station-based lesson? These feelings are as overwhelming as getting started for the holidays and imagining what present to buy for whom. 

 

For more info, see the amazing Catlin Tucker's post. 

 

Identify learning goals.

 

First and foremost, start with the end in mind. I have a couple of templates that I use when creating personalized learning paths that might help someone getting started in the process. Backward planning is essential when creating a station rotation. Having clear goals helps to drive the creation of the overall lesson. Once instructors know what students want to accomplish, the pacing and content can be explored and designed further. If the goal is to learn or acquire new knowledge, a lesson may look completely different than if the goal is to review or demonstrate mastery. Strong learning objectives can also unite the lesson and help each station connect to the overall goal. 

 

Determine the size of the groups and the number of stations.

 

Classroom size and group dynamics significantly impact how one designs a station rotation lesson. I like using a chart or organizer to plan my stations, which also helps me keep the end goal in mind. Some elements to consider include:

• Class size.
• Space/resources available.
• Time of the lesson (two to three periods).
• The size of the groups that will most appropriately fit the activities and tasks being asked of my students.
• The strengths and dynamics of the group. 

 

If the course is a blended course, space, and pace may be more flexible and should be considered in the design of the overall learning experience. 

 

I typically have 24-28 high school students in a relatively small classroom, which often drives my instructional design. For me, I like to have students in groups of four to five, which makes groups of six to seven. With approximately six groups, I will allocate 10-15 minutes per station. This lesson will take at least two class periods with some buffer time to finalize learning artifacts, review, and debrief as a class. Once I establish the number of stations and the pacing of a station rotation, I try to keep those stations consistent in subsequent lessons to help establish classroom protocols, norms, and expectations. 

 

Another caveat to consider is who will pick the groups and how those groups will be selected. Are students grouped to diversify the groups, picked to work with peers they work well with, or based on their proficiency with a specific skillset? Group selection should be purposeful and align with the overall goals of the lesson. Based on specific stations or tasks, it might be helpful to have groups of students working together for a particular purpose. 

 

Choose the activities for each station.

 

I always start with planning a teacher-led station for station rotation. I want to work with my students and want that small group time to discuss, assess, and reflect with my students. The activities should support the overarching goal of the lesson. When creating station rotation, my most significant reminder to colleagues is that a station rotation lesson is NOT starting from the ground up. Teachers should use what they already have and adapt to give students more small group time and focus on the learning tasks presented. If a teacher uses a Kahoot to review a skill, the Kahoot becomes a station. If a teacher had initially planned individual writing/reflecting time in a linear lesson, that becomes a station. 

 

So what might those stations look like? I have too many thoughts to keep writing here. Stay tuned for the next entry. Overall, it's important to remember that this learning model is incredibly flexible and can look different in every classroom. 

 

Stations are typically not linear, so considering the background knowledge and skills students need before beginning the station is essential. If they must know a skill or information to work through the stations, consider completing a mini-lesson with students before the stations begin. Also, consider creating a brief video recording to support student learning, review directions, or guide students as they move through the stations. Personalizing each station and using audio/video can make a teacher's guidance present even if the teacher is working with another group of students. 

It's a new year, and while I believe it is always a great time to set a goal or resolution (not just January 1), it could be time to try a new strategy or even just reimagine what classroom learning might look like with stations!